Startup: When you get to heaven, and you meet Ananias, what’s the first question you’d like to ask him?
SEEING WHAT’S THERE
1. Who are the people playing an important part in this chapter?
2. Imagine again you were helping to produce a film based on the book of Acts. To film the events recorded in chapter 9, summarize all the scenes to be included, and mention also any special kinds of scenery; background music, lighting effects, etc., that you would use to meaningfully portray the action.
3. Which important details in this chapter do you think might be the easiest to overlook?
4. EYE FOR DETAIL—From what you recall seeing in this chapter, try answering the following question without looking at your Bible: What did Ananias call Saul when he met him for the first time? (See verse 17.)
CAPTURE THE ESSENCE
5. In verse 16, notice what the Lord added in his words to Ananias about Saul. Why do you think the Lord mentioned this to Ananias?
6. In your own words, how would you summarize the victory the church achieved in this chapter, through the power of the Holy Spirit? How was it strategically important for the continued growth of the church?
FOR LIFE TODAY
7. ACTION HERITAGE: What act or attitude of obedience in this chapter is the most meaningful example to you of what it means to follow Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit?
FOR GOING DEEPER
Read again verses 17-18. How might Saul’s graphic experience in that instant have shaped his later teaching about the “natural man” and the “spiritual man” in 1 Cor 2:14-15?